A permit-required confined space has the potential to present inherent risks to worker health and safety and should be entered only when necessary and always with extreme caution. Unfortunately, there are times when employers will need to authorize their employees to enter these work areas for either planned maintenance or for emergency repairs. After carefully considering whether entry is, in fact, necessary, the decision-maker's job is to select a rescue service capable of providing timely/effective response during confined space entry.
The employer’s first obligation regarding rescue is to determine whether non-entry rescue is feasible and to ensure that it would not create a greater hazard than what is already present.